Debates' flaw: No one's watching
by Susan Page, USA TODAY
usatoday.com
The nation does not seem to be holding its breath.
The television viewing audience for the highest-rated debate this fall — the Oct. 9 forum in Phoenix on CNN — was smaller than the audience for the lowest-rated prime-time entertainment show on network television.
That debate was watched by 1.8 million Americans. In comparison, the WB's bottom-rated Run of the House drew 1.9 million viewers for Oct. 9, according to Nielsen ratings. The top-ranked CSI on CBS had 26.5 million viewers that same evening.
The lowest-rated debate, held in the afternoon, drew just 603,000 viewers when it aired live on CNBC Sept. 25 from New York.
So far, debate performance hasn't determined which candidate has front-runner status. Those judgments have been driven by fundraising acumen, Internet innovation and poll standing nationwide.
"I think some of the debates have been important," says Joe Trippi, campaign manager for former Vermont governor Howard Dean. Which ones? After a pause, he responds, "As many as we've had, it's hard to remember."
The problem, strategists for several campaigns say, is the big field. With eight, nine or 10 candidates standing at identical lecterns — many of them in identical-looking dark suits, blue shirts and brightly-colored ties — it's difficult for contenders to stand out.
The memorable moments tend to be attacks on one another. Dean is a frequent target; Wesley Clark was singled out in the most recent debate.
At one debate, Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt likened Dean and his position on Medicare to former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, prompting an angry retort. At another, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman accused Dean of wanting to reverse a half-century of U.S. support for Israel.
Watching closely: Republicans. Some of the attacks could be replayed next year against the eventual nominee, officials with ties to President Bush's re-election campaign say. They note with relish Gephardt's criticism of Dean and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's attack on Gephardt's proposal to repeal all of Bush's tax cuts.
But more often than not, the candidates' jockeying seems like a political version of professional wrestling, with choreographed headlocks, body blocks and smackdowns. The contenders have had enough practice to know one another's moves. By unofficial count, 26 debates and joint appearances have drawn most of the candidates this year.
Sunday's debate in Detroit is the fourth sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee, part of an unsuccessful effort to limit debate proliferation. Another DNC debate is set for Nov. 24 in Iowa, with one following in New Hampshire.
The debates are important to the sponsors, in Sunday's case the Congressional Black Caucus. And the debates' impact is likely to grow next year as voters begin to tune in.
But officials at several campaigns say they haven't seen a bump in fundraising or Web traffic after the debates.
"They're not a complete waste of time," a top aide at one campaign says. "But ... they take up more time than they're worth."
The exception would be those candidates with the least money and lowest poll standings. The debates are their best shot at getting attention.
"It's a forum not controlled by the TV assignment editors," says New York activist Al Sharpton, one of the contenders. He has shown perfect pitch for the sort of one-liner that gets a laugh and lands in news accounts of the debates.
"The critics say, 'Sharpton's doing a sound bite,' " he says. "My strategy is to get the most said in the least amount of time, and with enough passion or wit to make people remember it."
Sunday's debate will be carried on Fox News Channel. But the drive for ratings may be even tougher than usual. Another televised event just may be starting at 8 p.m.: The New York Yankees and the Florida Marlins in a possible seventh game of the World Series. |
